The Devil's Court
by Spideria
Summary: Takes place before the boys are rescued. Ralph and Jack make a deal. Ralph is allowed to live, but in return must accept Jack as his chief and abide by all rules, no matter how harsh. What will happens what Jack starts to fall for his once hated enemy?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Lord of the Flies or anything like that. Plus, incase you haven't realized this yet, this is slash.

Note: I have no idea what I'm doing. I read Lord of the Flies nearly a year ago, and it was simply an okay book, in my mind. Then, like, two weeks ago, I decided to go over to the Lord of the Flies section of and I totally fell in love! I swear, I can't believe the idea of all those boys being together on an island and turning gay never even crossed my mind! With Chasing the Forbidden, I really enjoy writing it, but I don't exactly have the inspiration to write on it just now. So I thought that if I started writing something different for just a little bit, maybe I'll come around to it soon.

So yeah, anyway, hopefully I'll update Chasing the Forbidden later this week, but for now I just want to write a nice Lord of the Flies story. I have no idea where I'm going to go with this story, but I just want to write it anyway and have a little fun. I'm not really expecting a lot of reviews or anything, as I've noticed that this fandom is a bit…well…deserted. I'm just writing this for fun, so if anyone is reading this: Enjoy!

Chapter: 1

_**The Agreement**_

The adrenaline pumped through his veins, tense and rapid, as he made his way almost swiftly through the woods. His breath came out in shallow rasps as his lungs burned with the fire of a thousand suns. Twigs and outstretched branches scratched at his once perfectly immaculate skin, now dripping with a mix a blood and sweat, and dirt which met with his tiny rivulets of bloody sweat and trickled down his form, leaving thin trails of a murky brown over his skin.

The rush of excitement pumping through every one of his muscles was almost too much to stand. The sting from the dozens of tiny cuts lacing through his dirt-stained skin were the only things bringing him back to reality every time his vision became slightly blurred with messy blotches of black sparks marking the images of the island.

Loud cries could be heard from behind him, angry and wild, and they were quickly catching up to him, coming closer and closer to his very presence. The disturbing wails slowly began to overwhelm him, making the fair-haired young boy lose the ability of sensible thought. He lost all self-restraint and let his fatigued form fall to the ground with an unceremonious _plop_.

He curled up in a fetal position and let out a long breath of air, before breathing in just as much, allowing himself to catch his breath. He lazily let his eyes wonder over to his right, were the heated shouts could still be heard from, and could see far away blurs of color about ninety yards away.

He was going to die. Just like Piggy; just like Simon; just like that poor, unsuspecting little boy. Once the chief of this miserable group of boys, he was now reduced to nothing. And he would be forgotten, along with them. Suddenly, he shook his head urgently.

_No,_ He thought to himself. He would not let himself be killed like a helpless animal. If he died, then who would remember those who had died? Who would remember the civilized young boys they had once been? Who would bring peace back to the island?

Ralph would not die; he could not die. He was one of the last few sane people left on this retched island. More importantly, he was the only one left who would still fight for what he believed in. He would fight to the very death to restore the order that had once been, except that he would not die. He would live and make things right again. He had to. If not, the insanity would continue until Jack was the last person still standing.

Using all his might, he pushed himself up and stood on two shaky legs, slowly taking in a breath to steady himself. The maniacal cries were right in front of him, now, and abruptly, they all stopped as Jack walked up ahead, and closed in on Ralph. The red-head glared down at the younger boy, menacingly.

"Well, what do you think of yourself now, eh? Some chief you were. You never should have been chief. I was meant to lead this island! Me! I should have been chief from the very start! But you couldn't just let me take my rightful place, no. You had to make everything difficult. Well, you had your way, and now I am finally chief, as I should have been all along!" Jack's speech had started with a low voice, but had slowly increased with each sentence, ending in a loud, angry shout.

Believing that Ralph had nothing to say in response, Jack raised his spear, ready to stab through the fair-haired boy's very heart, but Ralph suddenly spoke. "No, Jack. You are wrong. Look around you. Look what you have reduced us to. We are no better than wild animals running rampant! You are a murderer, and you are teaching all the little ones that it is ok to kill each other. How long do you think it'll be before you find yourself at the end of one of their spears, begging for your life? How long?"

Jack's eyes widened slightly, in reluctant realization. He looked around to the boys standing behind them, their spears still raised, but their eyes quickly filling with a look of thoughtful consideration. "Put your spears down." Jack commanded.

The boys looked at each other in confusion, their spears still hovering high above them. "I said, put them down before I make you put them down!" Jack shouted savagely. Slowly, one by one, the boys lowered their weapons fully, waiting for their self-pronounced chief to give them their next order. But Jack did not tell them anything else. Instead, he grabbed Ralph by the arm and pulled him away from the boys and began to speak I hushed whispers, so as not to let the other boys hear.

"Then what exactly is that I should do, oh mighty god of gods?" He spat out harshly, with sarcasm lacing each and every word. But Ralph ignored this, knowing that this would be his only chance to get through to the controlling boy before him.

"Let me live. I can help you restore things back to the way they were before."

"You will not be chief. I will not let you-"

"I'm not saying that I want to be chief. It is obvious that I _should_ be chief, with your hideous –"

"Ralph," Jack growled out angrily.

"Forget about that. Just let me be your… advisor, in a manner of words. We need to fix things. Look at what has become of us! We need to forget about what has happened and concentrate on fixing things now. The little ones, although not physically older, are now wiser through what they have seen take place on this island. We can make ourselves into a real civilization instead of these wild beasts we've all become. There's still hope, Jack."

Jack stopped for a moment to think things through. He would not look Ralph in the eye as his thoughts whizzed around wildly in his head, but when he finally spoke again, his eyes held a determined look in them. "Even if I were to agree with you, I could not simply let you go so easily. It will make the others question my authority. You know that."

Ralph was silent.

"I will let you be my advisor," Jack began. "But not immediately. First, I will allow you a few days rest to heal some of your wounds. Then, as punishment, I will have to beat you in front of the others, so that their loyalty to me will not dwindle."

"What!" Jack shouted, incredulously.

"Or if you'd prefer, I could kill you right now," Jack said, pushing his spear into Ralph's stomach for added effect. Ralph said nothing, but a defiant glare remained prominent on his face as the red-head continued. "Then, you will pledge your loyalty to me and-" Jack let out a slight growl as Ralph opened his mouth to protest, immediately making the fragile boy close his mouth with a defiant pout."-and then…I will deem you worthy of a second chance. Your are to weak and wimpy to be a hunter, but you cannot simply stand around uselessly while everyone else does work, so I will appoint you as my advisor."

Ralph did not like this idea at all. He wished he could simply agree to this plan now, and then run away late at night, but this was no his home back in London. There was no where to run to. There was only the island, and the terrifying ocean that held Piggy's dead corpse, and hundreds, if not thousands of hungry, vicious sharks.

But he would not give up. He wouldn't. He would go along with Jack's sick little plan for now, but he would find a way out sooner or later. He would not become another one of Jack's mindless little minions. Perhaps he would secretly recruit some supporters for himself, and then they would overturn Jack's authority. But wouldn't that start the entire battle all over again? Ralph gave an inward sigh, before deciding to just agree with Jack for now, and think of something later. After all, Jack had said he would have several days of healing, which would be perfect for time to think.

"Fine," Ralph agreed, eliciting a superior-looking smirk from Jack.

"Good. You made the right decision." And with that Jack gave Ralph a rough shove in the back and pushed him forward, towards the group of silently waiting boys.

Ralph felt the pain course through his muscles at Jack's shove, and forced himself to push away the pain. He would not show weakness in front of his once admiring tribe. No matter what Jack said, Ralph would always remain chief.

Perhaps he was giving up just a little but of himself today, but he would regain it. He would come up with a plan and make sure Jack paid for what he had done. Jack would be the one punished in the end.

**AN: **I know this chapter was a bit slow, and there was no slash yet, but I promise to have at least some definite attractions in the next chapter. I don't want to rush into everything too quickly. Anyway, this chapter was sort of like many of the other Lord of the Flies stories here already, but the plot will definitely go differently! Any suggestions would also be helpful. I hope at least someone out there enjoys my story. Please review.

xoxo Spideria xoxo


	2. The Beginning

Hello, I am back! Than you for the lovely reviews! Hope I get them again for this chapter. Now, it's probably going to seem shorter since I am not posting a long AN like the last time. But anyway, I hope you enjoy it. Oh… and btw, I don't write "littluns", or however you spell it,

because I'm a bit of a tiny grammar freak. And stuff like that, when I notice it bothers me as I type. Sorry. :-( Also, if some of them are a bit out of character, I apologize. I haven't read the whole book in a year – just a few pages every once in a while, when I'm in the mood.

Chapter 2

_**The Beginning**_

Jack pushed Ralph down on his knees, so that all the boys would look down upon him, even the few little ones who had tagged along on the chase. Ralph refused to let Jack win completely, looking each and every one of the boys with a fierce stare, until the others all grew shy and looked away blushing.

Anger coursed through Jack's veins at Ralph's small victory, and pulled the fair-headed boy up with a sharp tug on his hair, eliciting a hiss of pain, which planted a firm smirk on Jack's lips.

"He is to be my prisoner until he heals." Jack announced to all the boys with a voice of command. "Once he has healed, I shall punish him severely, for all to see. You will learn what happens to one when he does not obey me." His voice grew to a warning tone, fierce and cold, sending chills through the other boys, while others even gulped with apprehension.

"Then, I will figure out what to do with him from there for myself. From the time I spend with him as he heals, I will decide what position I shall allow him to fill. Now, Roger, grab a hold of him and find a cave. Samneric, you two follow him, and bar the cave when he finds him. You three will all stand guard and watch that he doesn't run away. My hunters, prepare to feast. We are going to get the biggest hog out here, and eat to our hearts content!" There were several cheers at that statement.

"The rest of you, go down and prepare a fire the old fashioned way and rub two twigs together or something. Just figure it out and make it work by the time we get back so that we can begin to cook our meal. Roger, when you hear us get back, send one of the twins to get me." Roger nodded and Jack began to turn for the hunt when he suddenly turned back. "Oh, I forgot. Did anyone here ever learn anything about nursing or something?"

The boys began turning heads, looking at each other in question until Henry stepped out from the group and said, "My mom was a nurse. She taught me a few things every here and there."

"Good. You follow Roger and Samneric. Help Ralph to heal the best way you know. After all, the sooner he heals, the sooner he can be punished." This last part was followed by a menacing sneer, which Ralph did his best to ignore as he was shoved along by Roger.

* * *

"Ooh Ooh Ooh Ooh Ooh!" The boys shouted out as they rapidly pressed their hands to their mouths Indian-style. They were returning from their hunt, true to their words, as four all of the hunters were pressed in together, carrying the heavy weight of the huge hog.

The others came running to them and huddled around the hunters in admiration, shouting and whooping at the large pig. Jack smiled to himself as he saw wisps of smoke unfurl into the air from the fire the boys had managed to create, just as he had told them.

"Good job," he said, as he and his other hunters set up the pig, tying its limbs to a large spear so that they could turn it as the fire cooked it. After a short time, Jack could already see the meat beginning to tan under the burning heat of the fire, and his mouth watered in delight. Soon the hog would be ready.

Just then, he saw Sam…or Eric, jogging wearily toward him, slightly out of breath. "Roger told me to run down here," he said in explanation to his newly-appointed chief's unasked question.

The red-head nodded and motioned for the twin to sit down to his right. He did as directed and waited in confusion for a long time, never saying a word, for fear of saying the wrong thing. Finally, Jack shouted, "The hog is ready!" and excited exclamations were heard throughout the group. Two of the hunters headed toward the hog and lifted it off its perch, and then began to hurriedly cut it up, taking pieces off. First for their chief, of course, and then for themselves; then they passed pieces around to the others, who stood, eagerly waiting.

As they continued to cut away, Jack said, "I am going to see the others, still in the cave. You two, give me a few pieces, and make sure to save some meat for the other twin, Henry, and Roger."

"Yes, chief." The two replied obediently in unison.

At last, with three pieces of meat in his hands, Jack made his way to the cave, with the twin leading the way. He arrived at the cave to see the other twin standing guard outside of the cave. "You may go with your brother to the feast." The other twin eagerly complied and ran down to other others with his twin in toe.

Jack then proceeded to walk in with languid arrogance, a smirk prominent on his lips and told Roger to leave and join the feast, before turning to Henry. Jack looked down to see Ralph fast asleep, his lithe form resting on a pile of soft-looking leaves, and covered in scraps of cloth, with his upper torso wrapped tightly in what looked to be a once decent-looking shirt, strapped on by long vines.

"This is good work. Henry, from now on, you are no longer a member of my hunting tribe." Henry was taken aback, and grew a frightened look, worried that he had done something wrong.

Perhaps Jack had actually wanted him to treat Ralph indecently. "I-I'm sorry, Chief. I didn't mean to-"

"You are now the appointed healer." He continued, interrupting the stuttering boy. "You shall wait with supplies in hand for the hunters to return after every hunt. In case one of us gets hurt, you shall be in charge of healing them. You will also be on duty every minute of the day."

"But Chief," The boy dared to protest.

"I don't mean that you can't do as you want. You can live normally and do as you please, but if a boy gets hurt at any time and needs your assistance, you must go to him immediately and help."

Henry nodded, pleased.

"Now leave. Go join the feast with the others. I have told them to save food for you, but if you take too long, their impatience may get the better of them."

Henry quickly left without another word.

Now, alone with Ralph, Jack leaned down and gently pressed a hand to the sleeping boy's slightly swollen cheek. He looked down at the boy and really studied him. The hair-headed youth had such an attractiveness about him. With such angular features, and high cheek bones, he was an Adonis in person.

_Too bad he's such a stubborn prat, _Jack thought to himself.

Shaking him roughly by the unwounded shoulder, the red-head shouted, "Wake up!"

Ralph's eyelids fluttered slightly but remained shut, nonetheless.

"Wake up!" Jack shouted again.

A slight moan escaped Ralph's lips as his eyelids slowly forced themselves open.

The chief moved away from the newly awoken boy, trying to push away the slight flutter in his lower abdomen, caused by the unwarranted moan.

"Here, eat this. I need you alive if I want to punish you really badly in a few weeks."

Ralph slowly reached his hand out to Jack's, which held the slightly raw meat, brushing their fingers together in his sleepy haze. Jack quickly pulled away, feeling a tingle from the other boy's touch, but Ralph didn't notice, as he began to hungrily eat the meat.

Clearing his throat, Jack began. "You will be treated equally while you heal, and even better, once your punishment has been completed: that is my part of the deal. But don't forget yours. You must completely surrender yourself to me, is that understood? You must accept me wholly as your chief."

Ralph said nothing, and continued to eat silently, but as much as he tried to ignore Jack's statement, he couldn't hide the glare that crawled its way over his features.

"You will stay true to your word, Ralph. I will make sure of it."

The two were silent as Ralph continued to eat until all three pieces of meat had been devoured. The sky outside was bright with sprinkled stars, and Jack let out a yawn of fatigue. He stretched himself out and laid down to Ralph's right, preparing to fall asleep.

"What are you doing?" Ralph suddenly asked with trepidation.

"Going to sleep," Jack answered, his eyes already closed.

"Shouldn't you go sleep with your tribe?"

"Why? So you can run away during the night? I don't think so. As a matter of fact," Jack said, grabbing a stray vine which had not been used on the cloth around Ralph's torso. "I'm going to make it so that if you even move so much as a foot away from me, I'll know." And he continued to tie the vine tightly around Ralph's right wrist, and then around his own.

Ralph was silent with repressed anger.

Jack however, gave his now trademark smirk and went back into his sleeping position.

_Crap. _Ralph thought. _Now how am I going to get out of here before that damn punishment? _Then, the darkness that is sleep, took him into its never-ending depths.

* * *

"Ralph," Jack whispered into the darkness, looking upon the fair-headed boy's features, darkened by the night. The chief crawled over to the sleeping boy and turned him onto his back so that he could look into his face carefully.

His hand swiftly made its way to Ralph's deliciously pink lips, feeling the smooth texture of the rosy flesh. One finger played with the bottom lips before inserting itself between the two lips and pulling down on the bottom one gently.

The boy stirred slightly, but did not wake.

Jack's breath became uneven and rapid, and his heart began to pump loud and hard.

_Thu-thump, thu-thump, thu-thump._

Slowly, he moved so that he sat lightly, cradling the other boy's hips, and his other hand made its way down Ralph's abdomen, feeling every beautiful muscle and millimeter of soft, tender skin.

His brain became muddled and he had, by now, lost complete control of his body.

He breathed in deeply and became intoxicated by the unexplainably dazzling scent of the boy beneath him. His senses went wild, and without another though, he leaned down for a precious kiss-

Gasping uncontrollably, Jack woke up, a light sheen of sweat encompassing his body. He looked over to the boy on his left and quickly had to look away. Had he really dreamed such a thing? Such an unforgivable thing? Had his subconscious been trying to tell him something?

Could he really be attracted to Ralph?

* * *

**AN:** Sorry I didn't italicize the dream like most people do, but that always just gives the whole thing away. You may as well type in big bold letters : **THIS IS A DREAM.** Anyway, hope you liked it. Please review. Toodles.

xoxo Spideria xoxo


	3. An Idea

Oh, wow. Hmm….lol. Ok, I'm looking back on my last chapter and I don't exactly like how I worded it, but oh well. :p It's been a while since my last post, so I hope my writing style hasn't changed all that much.

Ok, firstly though, before I start, I have to admit that as it's been such a long time since my last post, I actually forgot what my original ideas for this story were, so I've re-read my story and sort of come up with something new. Eh, hope that works out alright.

Also, I still haven't read the book over, so I'm sorry if I make some of the characters out to be a little OOC. I'm trying, here. :p

Thanks for the reviews, guys.

I hope you like. Oh, and sorry for the crappy title.

_**An Idea**_

Ralph awoke with a shiver and hugged his body tightly, keeping his eyelids shut all the while. Perhaps if his vision maintained a continuity of dark blackness, interrupted only by a few scattered blotches of multi-shaded reds, he would be able to fall back into the warm embrace of a dream-filled sleep.

Try as he might, though, his mind was already fully awake – even if his body wasn't and so, heaving a painful sigh of resignation, he sluggishly cracked one eye open, the other remaining stubbornly shut. He turned his head to his right and, coming upon quite an empty sight, realized that something was different.

Twisting his head up, he found Jack staring down at him, his face void of emotion.

Angry at Jack's condescending position in comparison with his own, Ralph struggled to stand, but was forcefully subdued as a shock of pain whooshed across his chest. Looking down, he noticed the several large cuts scattered across his entire torso, and the many stinging scrapes that had accumulated into a tasteless collage of irritation.

"Henry, get in here."

"Yes, chief?" The boy asked nervously as he scuttled over as quickly as his shaking legs would take him.

"See what you can do about his wounds."

Henry, at a loss of where to start among the many sores, began by unwrapping the vine which remained firmly tied around Ralph's wrist from the previous night.

"Ooosh," Henry murmured to himself, wincing at the red-rimmed, purple bruise indenting Ralph's wrist. He massaged it tenderly, rubbing his thumbs against it with light pressure, hoping his wrist hadn't gone numb overnight. "Can you feel your wrist, Ralph?"

But Ralph, curiously preoccupied by Jack's visage, had not heard the question. The red-head's features had tightened as Henry had begun to knead his pained wrist, a glare making its way into his eyes.

"Ralph?"

"What?"

"Your wrist, can you feel it?"

"Oh, sort of… It feels odd when I bend it, though."

"Does this hurt?" Henry inquired, tentatively feeling around his wrist in different areas.

"No. Why?"

"I'm not sure, but I saw my mum do it on a coupl'a soldiers every once in a while. If it hurt, that was bad, but since it doesn't, I suppose everything's alright for the most part. How does this feel, though?" His thin fingers, soiled with dirt, continued the previous massage.

Ralph let his eyes flutter closed as he struggled to hold back a contented sigh. "That feels… nice."

"Enough! He's not dying; his wrist is just fine. Now fix his cuts as best you can, and quick!"

While Henry tended to the injuries, dabbing them with bits of wet cloth and improvising with his memory, Ralph kept his eyes trained on Jack, noting the angry features darkening sharply each time Henry paid particular attention to a certain wound with his fingers.

This reminded him, slightly, of a time when he was still home. A friend of his mother's had come to visit, and every time he laid a hand on her back or laughed a little too jovially with her, Ralph's father would grow all the more furious, but this was of jealousy. He loved Ralph's mother, and that of course brought on a sense of possession and a need to protect her from others.

This, however, was different. For Jack was a boy, and so was Ralph. For one boy to fancy another was… well, it just wasn't possible. At least, he'd never heard of such a thing before. It was preposterous, really; laughable, even. A boy… in love with another boy? Ha!

But then, what exactly _was_ churning in Jack's all too complicated mind? Ralph couldn't tell, and it irked him more than he was willing to admit. He wanted Ralph healed, yet he didn't want Henry to touch him. What was wrong with that boy?

"I'm done."

"Good. Now go off and play or something."

At Henry's departure, Jack knelt before the other boy and asked stoically, "Do you feel better?"

"I suppose."

Curious, Jack probed delicately at a cut on Ralph's left shoulder, inducing a quick and pained gasp. "Does it really hurt?"

"No, I just like to randomly gasp every now and th-"

"Don't be smart with me," he hissed.

"Then don't ask me stupid questions."

Jack's eyes went so narrow, only a sliver of white was visible. Ralph scrunched his eyes shut, prepared for a blow, but all that came was a slight breeze as the red-head abruptly stood and walked away.

Now he was alone.

He let out a sigh of relief only to curse himself at a sudden realization. Here he was, alone and unbound, and yet he could not escape for the terrible aches all throughout his body preventing him from so much as standing up. He wanted to scream in frustration, but he was too tired even to do that.

What was he going to do? Was he really going to heal only to be beaten into even worse conditions immediately following? Was there no possible way of persuading Jack otherwise in the short time he had before that?

He simply couldn't understand how anyone could possibly be so heartless. Surely Jack could not be entirely without mercy whatsoever. He even cared for Ralph to heal properly. But what of his anger, then, each time Henry's soft touches brought him relief?

Soon, his mind grew weary, and he closed his eyes, hopeful for a few hours of rest.

JRJRJR

"Psst. Ralph, wake up."

"Sam?"

"No, Eric. Hi."

"What are you doing?"

"Just came in to check on you. Jack's worried. He's trying not to show it too much, but we can all tell. I'm not positive why, but I think he wants to make sure you heal soon so that he can get to your punishment quickly."

"That's a comforting thought."

"Why? I'd be scared if I were you."

"I know. I was being sar- never mind."

"Alright, well, he's probably going to check on you, himself, soon. I know he was in here before, though. What? Did he roughen you up?"

"No. He just asked if I was feeling better."

"Weird."

"What's weirder is why you're not with your brother."

"Oh, yeah. Jack's always splitting us up. I guess he doesn't want us to be too dependent on each other. My grandfather told me stories about that sort of thing. In China, they used to make sure officials and such were always changing posts because the government didn't want them to become too friendly with the locals. They thought it would make them less loyal to the Emperor."

"Oh, and I suppose he thinks you and Sam are going to raise a conspiracy against him?"

"A what?"

"Nothing. Just go back and tell him I'm fine."

"Ok. But hey, Ralph?"

"Yes?"

"I hope you get better soon, and not because I want you to get punished, either. I really just want you to be alright."

"Thanks."

As the lone twin departed, Ralph began to mull over the new discovery. Jack was paying attention to even the smallest of details. Normally, Ralph would think him entirely too paranoid, but in a way, he could now see the genius of his thinking. Jack was not willing to take any chances – an admirable quality.

Perhaps he could use that to his advantage somehow; perhaps come up with a way to make Jack believe that by incapacitating him as soon as he healed, he would be leaving room for vulnerability where someone could try to somehow rebel against Jack.

After all, without Ralph's keen insight, there would be no one to foretell such an act.

**AN: **Ahhh! No slash in this chappy. Sorry. :( But fear not! I'm pretty sure I'm going to get a stronger sense of Jack's jealousy in the next chapter. This was sort of a filler for me to work off of since I totally forgot my previous plans. The writing probably seems a little different, and I'm sorry for that. Hope this is ok.

By the way, the whole Ralph denying the idea of Jack maybe liking him may seem totally cliché, but I thought it worked since this isn't modern time. This takes place like some time around 1950's, doesn't it? So I figure that, back then, young kids must have been more naive and hidden away from the knowledge of homosexuality. I don't know. That's what I think, anyway. So hope I didn't screw things up too badly. 8p

xoxo Spideria xoxo


	4. Salty Pain

Hello! Wow, I haven't update in forever!

Alright, well, again, I can't seem to remember where this story is headed, but let's keep going anyway!

**Salty Pain**

"Wake up," Jack called irately, tossing a leaf-made sac at Ralph's side. Blinking tiredly, the laying boy reached out for the small sac and opened it to find several berries inside. "Well don't just stare at it – eat some!"

Rolling his eyes, Ralph plucked a bright blueberry and slipped it into his mouth. "Thanks," he muttered quietly after he'd swallowed it down.

"Are you almost done healing, then?"

Ralph glared.

"Well you sure are taking long."

"It hasn't been more than three days! What do you expect?"

"Shut up and finish eating."

The two sat in silence for a few moments longer before Jack began, "I'm going to love beating you to a bloody pulp. You know that, don't you?"

Biting back a snarl, Ralph thought for a moment. He'd been considering Jack's earlier behavior around Henry and wondered if perhaps Jack _did_ hold a slight fancy for him. It was time to find out.

"Where's Henry?"

"Why do you care?" Jack snarled.

"I find him to be great company. A lot better than you, that is."

"Well Henry won't be coming back to visit you anymore."

"And what about my wounds!" Ralph exclaimed, genuinely shocked.

"They'll heal just fine on their own."

"That's not fair! I could get an infection!"

"If you were going to get an infection, you'd get one either way. Henry doesn't know bullocks about healing. All he knows is what all the rest of us know through common knowledge."

"That's not true," Ralph began, reeling back to his original objective. "I thought he was very gentle with me earlier. He was very caring."

Jack let out a growl.

"_I _can take care of your wounds if there are any other problems."

Ralph let out a chuckle.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

"Well then stop acting like a bloody fool."

"_Me?_ You're the one who won't let Henry tend to me for no good reason that I can see."

"I just _told _you."

"And I just told _you_: it's not a good reason."

Silence fell upon the two boys once again.

Jack watched as Ralph rolled his eyes to himself. He was always rolling his eyes. Such an act was not in the least bit endearing, and yet on Ralph, it was.

Ralph let out a moan of pain.

"What is it?"

"Nothing _you_ can help me with."

"Just tell me!"

"There's a pain in my chest." He replied haughtily, hating Jack's constant need to have control over everything.

"Is it here," Jack asked, his voice only slightly more than a whisper, as his shaking fingers touched a particularly gruesome cut.

Ralph's wince was his only answer.

"I'll get someone to fetch some seawater to cool it down."

"Seawater! Are you _insane?_ Salt water will only make it hurt worse!"

"But the salt will help clean it out."

"_How_ could salt _possibly _help clean it out!"

"I don't know, but it just will, alright!" The red-head swiftly stood and walked the short distance to the opening of the cave. "Sam, get over here!"

The twin, who had been dutifully standing guard outside, quickly scuttled over to his newest leader. "Yes, Jack?"

"Go fetch me some water from the ocean."

"No! Don't do it! Sam, please! Get it from the lake or something!" Ralph yelled from within the cave.

"Sam, do as I say." His growl brought a shiver to the shorter boy's frame.

"Yes, Jack," the small boy replied, his voice quiet and frightened.

The tall leader walked back into the cave and sat crossed-legged, next to Ralph.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Ralph asked, mournfully.

"It's going to help you."

"No, it's not! It's going to hurt like bloody hell!"

"And then you'll be properly healed."

"You don't know that! Get Henry! Please! Bring Henry here!"

"I told you Henry won't be coming back!" His voice was loud and fierce, and Ralph wisely remained quiet after that.

In a short time, Sam came back with a coconut half, filled with clear water, though the salty smell was evident. Ralph tried to pull back, wishing he hadn't told Jack about his pain, but his wounds kept him within arm's length of Jack.

"Hold still, will you?" Jack growled, as he took a hold of Ralph's writhing body. "Sam, leave us."

"Ay, ay, Jack." The boy said, giving a small salute.

With one arm still holding Ralph down by his right shoulder, Jack carefully set down the coconut half, ripped off a small piece of fabric from his already tattered shorts, and dipped it into the salty water.

"Jack, no! Please!"

"Shut up, already!"

"Jack, please! Don't do it!" Ralph called out, panicked. But Jack wouldn't listen. He squeezed the piece of fabric, letting some water dribble out and proceeded to bring it to Ralph's wound. "Jack, no! Ple- agh!"

Jack pressed the wet cloth into the wounded boy's cut and watched, intrigued, as he screamed out in agony. His legs kicked out and he tried to pull away; tried to push Jack's hand away, but the older boy was too strong. He then pulled away the cloth, dipped it once more in the water, but did not squeeze the water out, as Ralph's motivation to move away grew, and he quickly pulled away.

The red-head roughly pulled Ralph back and pressed the now fully drenched cloth into the cut, inducing an even more agonized scream from the boy beneath him. His throat thickened, and the veins crisscrossing along his slender neck bulged out, prominently displaying several tracks of blue.

Suddenly feeling for the boy's pain, Jack brought Ralph into a tight embrace, his forehead lightly pressing into the ground as he kept a firm hold on the other boy.

"It's okay, Ralph. It's almost done."

All he received in reply were several more screams and then a few ragged sobs as the pain slowly died away. Jack lifted his head and looked into Ralph's eyes, their noses touching. Ralph was still breathing loudly and raggedly, hot tears sliding down his cheeks, his eyes rolling back as his lids fluttered rapidly.

The boy seemed to be only half conscious, and Jack took his chance.

Gently, he turned his head and pressed his lips against the other boy's rough, chapped ones and quieted him down, silencing his sobs. Ralph half-heartedly tried to pull his head away, but Jack roughly turned his head back with his large, callused hand and deepened the kiss, licking the other boy's lips open.

Ralph did not return the kiss, but he did not try to pull away again, either. His mind was stiflingly clouded and his body felt completely drained from his earlier attempts to get up; to run away from the menacingly freckled boy. Ralph simply continued to breathe heavily through his nose until he slowly fell into a tired fit of sleep.

Jack did not break the kiss, but pulled back his tongue and kept their lips together, his eyes closed, thinking; pulling himself back together. After a few moments of Ralph's deep, slow breathing, the red-head swallowed deeply and pulled away.

He stood, looking at the blue cloth in his hand, too dark to show whatever little blood may have seeped into its threads. He then clutched the cloth tightly before turning away and stalking hurriedly past Sam, without so much as a nod of acknowledgement.

The small boy bit his lip worriedly, having heard the loud screams within the cave, but stayed put, fearing the wrath of his short-tempered leader.

**AN: **Alrighty! Well, the actual chapter is only about twenty words shorter than the last, so that's pretty good. I'm pretty sure that everyone seems completely out of character and that my writing was a bit crappy, but oh well. :( Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter at least slightly. Maybe I'll update again in about a week since I'm on break from school. Please review!

xoxo Spideria xoxo


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